EN The Jihlava Language Island is a continuous strip on the bounda- ry between Bohemia and Moravia in the Jihlava area, which had mostly German settlers until 1945. The area, stretching north to south and covering an area of approximately 43 x 18 km, com- prised 79 German municipalities and the town of Jihlava, which was a natural centre of the region; Stonařov and Štoky were then secondary centres. Partner Town of Heidenheim – in 2002 a partnership between the towns of Jihlava and Heidenheim was established, which was to lead in particular to the extension of good neighbour relations between citizens, societies, institutions, and organizations of both towns in the fields of culture, education, sports, and social care. Heidenheim (Federal Republic of Germany) is a town with 51,000 inhabitants, situated in north-eastern end of Schwäbische Alp mountains in the Baden-Württemberg Federal Republic. The Brenz River flows through the town, and its dominant feature is the cast- le of Hellenstein, towering above the town on a hill. Iglauer Regionalkulturverband (IRKV) is a Jihlava regional cultural association, a minority citizens’ association founded in 1992 in Jihlava; its mission is to preserve the cultural and language herita- ge of the German minority in the Highlands region area. Germans House of Gustav Mahler in Jihlava (Znojemská 4). In this house world-famous composer and conductor Gustav Mahler spent his Germany childhood and adolescence from 1860 to 1875. At present it hou- ses permanent exhibitions dedicated to Gustav Mahler and Jihlava, Poland in Jihlava his wife Alma Mahler, the artist Thea Weltner, and the coexistence of Czech population of Jews and Germans in Jihlava. Newly recon- Prague structed spaces in the house serve for organizing exhibitions and cultural events. Since July 2008 the house has been operated by the Statutory Town of Jihlava. Czech Republic Jihlava The Gustav Mahler House Society, founded at the turn of 1991– Brno –92, is a Czech-German society with its seat in Jihlava. In the Czech Republic it carries out Mahler-related activities in the Jihlava region, and among other things it is a co-organizer of the interna- Austria Slovak Republic tional music festival Mahler Jihlava – Music of Thousands, which has been taking place regularly in Jihlava and its close environs Gustav Mahler House since 2002. Znojemská 4, 586 01 Jihlava Tel.: +420 565 591 849 E-mail: [email protected] open: October–March: Tue–Sat 9–12, 12.30–17 April–September: Tue–Sun 9–12, 12.30–17 Issued by the Statutory Town of Jihlava in 2018, 500 copies printed. Photographs: Photographic archive of the Museum of the Highlands in Jihlava. Translation: Ing. Arch. Ivan Anděra. Graphic layout by Eva Bystrianská. Printed by Nová tiskárna Pelhřimov spol. s r. o. www.mahler.cz němci/ANGLICKY/vnějšek 1 German wedding – groom and bride 2 Sudeten-German country fiddler 3 View of the brewery 4 Group portrait of Society journeymen’s delegation with a flag on the title page: 1 2 3 4 Titles of German newspapers Silver Glory (12th–14th centuries) schools and one girls’ school and also one Czech school. In 1563 way station, court, and other institutions took the Czech side. On At the end of the 12th century the Slavic market village of Jihlava, sermons were given in Jihlava in both Czech and German. Based November 3 representatives of German national council declared with a small church of St. John the Baptist, hospice and cemetery, on data on Holy Communion in Czech and German churches in the territory of the Jihlava language island a part of so-called located on a hill above Jihlava River, was historically documented. Jihlava, less than about 6% of Czechs and 94% of Germans were German Austria. After silver ore was found the royal mining town, New Jihlava, reported in 1618. Without any doubt the town’s patriciate was of Final domination of Jihlava by Czechs culminated on Decem- sprang up on the right bank of the Jihlava River starting in 1238, German descent, while the Czech minority had to be looked for ber 5, 1918, when the old German town council resigned. How- not far from the original village. While Old Jihlava was a purely among the town’s middle class and the poor. ever, in spite of this the conflicts between Czechs and Germans Slavic market village, New Jihlava, the basis of today’s town, was and persecution of the German population continued to occur. Dur- settled mostly by Germans who arrived there during colonisation. On the Threshold of a New Age (19th–20th centuries) ing the so-called First Republic period in Jihlava roughly two-thirds Only the year of 1848 brought principal changes. With a wave of of the population was Czech. Even after Hitler came into power Against the Chalice (15th century) Czech national consciousness the Czech element also awakened Jihlava, even in spite of a sizable German minority, Jihlava was In the mid-15th century Jihlava was heavily predominated by in Jihlava. Czech social events were organized in Jihlava, publicati- not a town with a sharp conflict between the two nations. How- Germans; the Czech minority accounted for approximately one on of a Czech newspaper, “Skřivánek” (”Lark”), began, and in the ever, in the course of the war the ratio between both nationalities tenth of the population. Thanks to this distribution of populati- Jihlava gymnasium efforts to assert the Czech language gained changed to two-thirds German and one-third Czech – a number on during the course of the Hussite revolutions, Jihlava became strength. of Jihlava’s citizens, who were still of Czech nationality, declared a stronghold of Catholicism, unlike other Moravian towns with The German element started to retreat slowly. While in 1890– themselves to be Germans. Czech majorities, which supported the Hussite party. This Catholic –1900 only 18% of the town’s population was Czech; in 1921 the position also brought Jihlava’s citizens to Sigismond’s expedition Czech population already accounted for 46% of the town. However, Occupation by Nazis and Liberation (20th century) against Prague, and Jihlava itself was unsuccessfully besieged the town’s administration was German, the same as all authorities. After the Nazis came into power in Germany the influence of several times by Hussites. Unlike in the Hussite territories, the In the town there was a strong, predominantly German, military ga- national socialism gained strength. On March 15, 1939, the Nazi German element preserved its position in the revolutionary period rrison. Up to 1918 the town was a priority of the German nation as occupation came, with unprecedented terror, number of human vic- and at that time Jihlava was the most German of the big Moravian the dominant nation of the time in what was then the Habsburg mo- tims, and arrests, ending in concentration camps, or as in case of towns (Brno, Olomouc, Znojmo). narchy. The situation between Czechs and Germans became critical the Jewish population, in liquidation camps. Resistance by the Czech during the 1st World War, when in effect all the Germans in Jihlava population gathered force with the fronts approaching. Liberation Big Century (16th–17th centuries) identified with Austrian nationalism. On the other hand, among the on May 9, 1945, was considered redemption. After the war experi- At the close of 16th century the numeric domination of the German Czech population an anti-Austrian mood very soon prevailed. ence the wild expulsion of Germans was met with general approval. population prevailed. In about 1550 the town was mentioned in Only the subsequent transfers of Germans from the Jihlava area, German correspondence with other German royal towns in Mora- To Republic (20th century) the same as throughout the country, after emotions had calmed via. Otherwise, in official communication the Czech language was On 28 October 1918 the independence of the Czech state was were controlled based on “Directives for carrying out the systematic used, and the town had both Czech and German scriveners. In declared in Prague. In Jihlava representatives of Czech organiza- expulsion of Germans from CSR territory,” issued by the Ministry 1561, besides one Latin school there were still two German boys’ tions had met, and the garrison, and soon the post offices, rail- of Internal Affairs. němci/ANGLICKY/vnitřek.